There is never a good time to suffer from brain farts in sports, let alone during one of the biggest sporting events of the year. But that’s exactly what happened to Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith on Thursday in Game 1 of the highly-anticipated 2018 NBA Finals showdown between the Cavs and the Golden State Warriors.

Smith apparently thought that the Cavs were ahead when he grabbed an offensive rebound late in the fourth quarter of the game. Whether he eventually admits that that was what’s on his mind or continue to preach that he thought they were going to call for a timeout – thus his decision to take the ball out to the three-point area – the point is he could’ve won the game for Cleveland if he took a shot following his rebound.

In fairness to Smith, he’s not the only one who appeared to have forgotten what the score was during that waning moments of regulation. Even the panel of ESPN Radio seemed to have no idea at all that the game was tied, as play-by-play man Mark Kestecher could be heard declaring the Cavs the winner of the game as time expired, clearly oblivious of the fact that there’s going to be an overtime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzkdY9NLeNw&feature=youtu.be

Unlike Smith, Kestecher had the benefit of taking a peek at the scoreboard anytime he wants, but obviously that luxury did not prevent him from muffing his job.

Smith and Kestecher can do better next time around.